The Most Instagrammable Dessert In Every State

And how you can take the perfect picture of it, too.

By
Grace Elkus

Hector Manuel Sanchez

You probably know what your best friend’s favorite dessert is, but do you know what takes the cake in your home state? CakeJournal.com, an online cake blog, set out to answer that very question by aggregating Instagram photos with a variety of dessert-related hashtags, including #baking, #cookies, #bake, #cake, and #sweets.

The captions on 446,121 posts were analyzed for mentions of flavors and baked goods, and the geotag feature helped determine which state each Instagram user was posting from.

When it comes to flavor, the overwhelming majority (44 states) agree that chocolate is the tastiest. Rhode Islanders and Kansans, however, prefer coffee, Arkansans like cinnamon, New Mexicans enjoy raspberry, West Virginians favor strawberry, and Mississippians are wild about peanut butter.

Most people (36 states) also agree on the best baked good: a good ol’ fashioned cookie. But those in Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahama, Nevada, and Hawaii, would rather have a slice of cake. Cupcakes nabbed the top spot in South Dakota and Kentucky, while Maine residents were split between cake and cookies.

Though chocolate is by far the favored cake flavor, tastes vary a bit when it comes to cupcakes. People prefer vanilla in six states, caramel in four states, and red velvet in others. Some even like fruit and vegetable flavors best: Vermonters and Pennsylvanians prefer strawberry, South Carolinians like carrot, and Wisconsinites enjoy pumpkin.

Hoping to get in on the Instagram action? The best pictures, according to CakeJournal.com, are taken in natural light, have a unique element (such as unusual crop), and utilize a prop or two (think a napkin or a spoon). And don't be afraid to take a bite of your baked good—this helps make your followers feel like they're enjoying it with you.